Meet John
Show – don’t tell. That’s the best way to reach people, says John Tasker, Willamette Maintenance Supervisor. Instead of preaching to employees about the benefits of recycling and composting, John went to work color coding and taping examples above compost and recycling receptacles throughout the store, making it easy to know what goes where.
“I’ve been very methodical about it,” John says. A month after his 3-D signage went up, he was excited to learn that his store had decreased its garbage waste by more than half. “Everything improved with the signage; they are great visual reminders.”
Very much behind the scenes, John and his sustainability efforts benefit both the environment and the bottom line. In addition to keeping recyclable and compostable materials out of the landfill, his efforts and the resulting efforts made by other employees have reduced the store’s garbage hauling fees.
In its effort to be a leader in the grocery industry, cut costs, and leave a smaller environmental footprint, Market of Choice is implementing a company-wide Green Waste Program that diverts food waste and other compostable materials from the landfill.
Over the next few years, Green Waste Bins will be installed at each of its seven stores in Eugene, Portland, West Linn and Ashland. Once the program is more developed, it will be expanded to include the dining areas, so that customers can participate, as well.
“We’re doing the right thing environmentally,” John says. “And one of the benefits, of course, is a lower cost for the store. Once all of our employees are on board and customers join in, it’s only going to get better.”
As Maintenance Supervisor, John makes sure the Willamette Market looks good and runs smoothly, whether that means repairing an air conditioner or replacing a light bulb.
A problem solver and all around fix-it man, John stepped up his Eco Efforts after attending a grocery store-focused sustainability conference in San Francisco.
“What I learned was that we have to work smarter,” he says. “Being sustainable is an ongoing process. And it feels good being part of a program and work-related ideology that’s progressive.”
John knows what it takes to go the extra mile. A distance runner since high school – he ran his first mile in an impressive five minutes as a sophomore – he knows what can be accomplished with a little persistence, dedication and commitment. Forty-two years later, he still runs 20 miles a week.
When he’s not working or running, he swaps philosophical musings with his wife of 26 years. Also a talented landscape artist, whose best work comes from painting in the natural surroundings he creates on canvas, he gets outside whenever he can.
A native of New York, who migrated to the Midwest for college, and was later drawn to the beauty of the Northwest, John’s sustainability efforts began at a young age, collecting newspapers for recycling. Today, he ensures that all paper products used in the store – from hand towels, to napkins, to toilet paper – are made of post-consumer waste.
His next pursuit: a PowerPoint presentation for employees that will demonstrate the ease and importance of composting, recycling and working more sustainably.
“Do it right the first time, put more effort into it initially, and it will take less effort later on,” John says.
